Colbert's end-zone dance

The Federal Election Commission in a 5-1 vote Thursday morning granted permission to Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert to use his network’s resources to run his newly formed political action committee — but only to a point.

In a compromise decision with relatively narrow potential implications beyond his eponymous nightly faux news show, commissioners granted Colbert a so-called media exemption to campaign finance rules that will allow him to use his show to produce and air ads supporting or opposing federal candidates.

But if the group, Colbert Super PAC, wants to pay to run its ads on networks other than Comedy Central, it will have to disclose details about how much Comedy Central parent company Viacom spent administering the PAC and producing the ads.

Still, Colbert — who has used recurring bits on his show about Colbert Super PAC to highlight the proliferation of corporate money in politics — told a couple hundred fans and reporters who had gathered outside the commission’s downtown Washington offices that he had won a major victory.

Speaking in character as the blowhard conservative pundit he portrays on his show, Colbert told the crowd :“It has been said that freedom isn’t free. Today, we have placed a sizable down payment. Today, we put liberty on layaway.”